Pinch, punch, first of the month, and all that. We’ve survived January, with its freezing temperatures and gale-force winds, widely accepted to be the most depressing month of the year.

If your resolutions remain intact, well done you. If you made it through Dry January successfully, I hope your first drink of February hits the spot.

The only resolution I made this new year was to make no resolutions. I’ve done the Dry January thing before, both successfully and less so. I’ve made all the usual promises of self-improvement, while remaining as resolutely flawed as ever come the end of the month.

This year, I gave myself free rein to eat and drink as much as I desired. Look, it’s cold and dark outside, let’s save the transformations for spring – mid-winter is no time for rebirth, physical or spiritual.

It was with this spirit of continued post-Christmas indulgence that I found myself crossing the threshold of the London and Paris restaurant in Folkestone on a chilly, windswept midweek evening.

The prospect of treating myself to three courses and a glass or two of wine seemed almost transgressive at a time of year when so many are enduring an enforced period of abstinence.

Talking of rebirth, how about the transformation of this place? In a previous incarnation, this harbourside venue was known as Gillespie’s and carried with it something of a reputation.

Folkestone’s roughest pub? An exaggeration, perhaps. All I can tell you is that my one and only visit, now nigh on two decades ago, saw a companion and I turn tail and leave, pints only half drunk, such was the low-level air of menace. Maybe we didn’t give the place a chance to grow on us, but we didn’t really fancy taking the chance either way.

How things have changed. The place has been transformed into a stylish seafood restaurant, decorated beautifully with a nod to the French connection in its name, and the welcome inside was as warm as the night outside was cold.

I’d booked an early sitting, to take advantage of the well-priced set menu (two courses for £20, three for £25), and the room was quiet, so I took a table with a view out towards the lights of the harbour arm beyond.

I opted to start with the smoked haddock scotch egg and green tartare sauce. It arrived nicely presented and looked an enticing bite. I made my first incision with care and deliberation, determined to reveal the yolk within in all its glory, and I was rewarded with the perfect, oozy interior.

The dish was perfectly constructed – the fish, egg and golden crust all in ideal proportion – and the flavours were well balanced, the creamy yolk playing off against the robust smokiness of the fish.

For my second course I had been tempted by the chargrilled chicken breast with mushroom sauce and pomme puree, but seafood seemed the order of the day so I opted for the mussels, butter beans and chorizo on toast.

The mussels were plump and fresh, the chorizo gave the dish a welcome dash of spice. It was tasty and moreish, but still slightly underwhelming. I can’t really put my finger on why, but after the fine execution of the starter it felt like a bit of a step down. Maybe I am being a bit unfair on the kitchen, but I had rather hoped for something more.

For the final course I plumped for the grilled plums with vanilla ice cream. Texturally, the fruit was a little tougher than I would have liked, and not as sweet as I had imagined it would be. The caramelised crust was also perhaps slightly overdone, a little more burnt than ideal. But when combined in a spoonful with the absolutely first-rate ice cream the dish came together nicely. It was a pleasing conclusion to a satisfying meal.

There’s an awful lot to like about the London and Paris. Owners Ben and Lucy Cuthbert, who are also behind a number of other successful pubs and restaurants in the town (such as the Harbour Inn next door, the Pullman and Luben’s), have done a marvellous job of bringing this place back to life following the closure of Gillespie’s during the pandemic. I know from conversations with the team behind the refit how much effort went into the transformation. That hard work really has paid off.

The food was good, if not spectacular. I would be keen to return to see whether my main was a rare bum note. The welcome from the waitress who was serving the night I visited was perhaps the highlight. Attentive and friendly throughout, without at any point veering into overbearing, despite it being a relatively quiet night in January when it would have been easy to be constantly over the shoulder of the diners who had braved the cold and dark to be there.

I never did give Gillespie’s a second chance. But I will certainly be returning to the London and Paris again in the future. It’s a fine addition to the town’s dining scene and deserves to be a great success.

Out of five:

Food: There was a lot to like about the meal, and the scotch egg was of very high quality, but there remains potential to elevate the cooking further ****

Drink: A comprehensive offering, as befits a restaurant that’s part of an extensive chain of venues across the town, with specials chalked up on the wall ***

Decor: The transformation of this former seaside boozer is spectacularly well done – even though the restaurant was quiet on my visit there was still a welcoming ambience *****

Staff: The welcome was warm and the service spot on – my server was a credit to the place *****

Price: Three courses and two small glasses of wine came in at £36, without service, which I think is very reasonable given the escalating cost of eating out these days ****